Hire slow, fire fast.

In a small business, your people are everything. Not only do they likely interface with your clients but they also represent you in the community. And most importantly, they reflect the type of culture you have in your organization when chatting around the water cooler. This is why it is critical that you have the right people on your team.

Finding the right people can be difficult. It is hard to know how people will act on the job after just a few interviews. You can increase your odds of finding people who will properly fit into the role you have by requiring them to complete a personality profile prior to being hired. There are several of these in the market but I am preferential to one called the ProfileXT. This tool looks at a person’s intelligence as well as their working traits so you can see how you will be able to interact with them based upon your own profile. Overall, it is important you try to hire the right person, not simply the “right now” person when filling a role.

Unfortunately, even with the best tools and right amount of time taken, you will likely make some bad hires over time. This does not mean that they are bad people, just that they are not right for your organization. When you recognize this, you need to get rid of them QUICKLY! To coin an old saying, “one bad apple can spoil the barrel”. Like cancer, the bad behaviors will spread throughout your organization and turn what was a great culture to one strewn with turmoil.

So when building your team, be sure to hire slow and fire fast. This will give you best chance of building the organizational culture you always dreamed of.

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Michael Giuffrida from Southington CT has been operating businesses since 1997. He is an experienced entrepreneur in business management, profitable growth, business valuation, mergers and acquisitions, and information technology managed services.